Harbour Air Marks 10th Year Reducing GHG Emissions

Offsetters Climate Solutions, a division of NatureBank Asset Management, and Harbour Air Seaplanes have released the 2014 results from the airline’s carbon reduction and offsetting programs.

February 24, 2016, Vancouver, BC – Harbour Air, North America’s first carbon neutral airline, has worked to manage its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) with Offsetters Climate Solutions since 2007.

As Harbour Air and Offsetters work to calculate the 2015 GHG emissions and reducing those in the future, Harbour Air moves into the tenth year of collaborating with Offsetters.

Photo Credit: Tourism Victoria

Harbour Air Seaplanes carried more than 350,000 passengers on its routes in 2014, with the airline offsetting 100 percent of their emissions associated with seaplane fuel use and corporate operations. Combined, this resulted in the airline offsetting over 10,000 tCO2e, which is an equivalent to taking approximately 2,300 cars off the road. Of this footprint, 94 percent comes from seaplane fuel use. For example, flying from Vancouver to Victoria – Harbour Air Seaplanes’ busiest route – each passenger emits approximately 8 kg of CO2e per passenger per flight.

“Over the past ten years Offsetters Climate Solutions has worked with Harbour Air Seaplanes to find ways to develop, improve, and implement carbon management and carbon offsetting programs. This relationship has allowed both companies to showcase to consumers how a small investment can result in huge dividends for the environment,” says James Tansey, CEO of NatureBank Asset Management. “The investment made by Harbour Air Seaplanes has allowed them to improve their efficiency, while supporting carbon offset projects in our province and around the world.”

While the 2014 results alone are substantial, when viewed as a combined total over the past eight years, Harbour Air Seaplanes stands as a leader in business and sustainability in British Columbia, developing and enhancing their #FlyCarbonNeutral program. Since 2007, the airline has offset over 73,000 tonnes and has flown over 2.8 million passengers. Harbour Air Seaplanes’ have seen emissions, per revenue dollar, decrease by 15 per cent over the past two years.

“Harbour Air is proud to be North America’s first carbon neutral airline offsetting all GHG emissions from flight and corporate operations since 2007, with the help of Offsetters,” says Meredith Moll, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Harbour Air. “We thank our passengers and our staff for their commitment to our carbon neutral program, which has been an important part of Harbour Air’s commitment to environmental sustainability.”

Harbour Air’s offsets have contributed to the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii through the Great Bear Forest Carbon Project. This project covers over 7 million hectares and is an Improved Forest Management project along the North and Central-Mid Coast of British Columbia. The airline has also invested in Offsetters Climate Solutions’ Ugandan Wood Cookstoves program, which replaces conventional cook stoves with a more efficient stove. Over the past two years, offsets from Harbour Air passengers have subsidized over 7,000 cook stoves.

#FlyCarbonNeutral by the numbers:

Canada’s Best Managed Company Award 2009-2015

The Mail Run Tour is one of Destination Canada’s Signature Experience since 2011

YVR Port Authority 2015 Clear Skies Award

Calculating Carbon Emissions since 2007

2.8 million passengers from May 2007 to February 2015

0.496kg of Co2e Emissions per passenger kilometre

94 percent of these emissions came from seaplane fuel use in 2014

Over 73,000 tonnes in carbon offsets since October 2007

Vancouver owned

Employs more than 400 local staff during high season

913 Flight vouchers donated to charities and sponsorships during 2014

Use Hemlock Printers to print more than 170,000 carbon neutral brochures

In 2014, Harbour Air offset 10775.1 TCO2e. This is equivalent to getting 2,321 cars off the road

Harbour Air offsets 100 percent of their emissions

North America’s first fully carbon neutral airline

Flying return from Vancouver to Victoria emits 8kg of CO2e per passenger per flight

Founding participants of the Earth Day clean up in Victoria. In 2015 more than 60,000 pieces of garbage were picked up

Harbour Air’s offsets have contributed to the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest and HaidaGwaii. These carbon projects cover more than 7 million hectares

Offsets from travel for the past two years have subsidized more than 7,375 Ugandan cookstoves

Over the past two years emissions per revenue dollar have decreased 15 percent

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